Chapter 1070 The shortcomings of the cavalry
Judging from the information currently available, the Ming army stationed within a fifty-mile radius of Zhifu Island only numbers four to five hundred at most. Even if local civilian armed forces are included, the number will not exceed a thousand. To deal with this level of external threats, , the possibility of needing to use cavalry in battle is actually slim. Of course, as the strongest land mobile armed force in this era, Qian Tiandun would not deny the necessity of the existence of cavalry. Moreover, the plain terrain of Jiaodong area is vast. If the Haihan Army wants to move far away from its strongholds and deep into the inland areas, then the cavalry will indeed Has irreplaceable advantages. However, in the early days of moving north, this elite unit, with a military budget higher than that of a combat battalion, can probably only perform simple tasks such as reconnaissance, surveillance, and communication, and will not have the opportunity to play a leading role on the battlefield for the time being.
But Qian Tiandun also understood that the Ministry of National Defense did not hesitate to spend huge sums of money to transport this small cavalry unit to the Jiaodong Peninsula by sea, not just to allow it to attack friendly forces. While the opponents they need to face are not too strong yet, let the cavalry adapt to the climate of the northern region earlier, practice some outdoor combat routines, and prepare for future cavalry expansion. This is the real purpose of deploying troops across thousands of miles. .
After Harugong got off the boat, he greeted everyone and then returned to the boat. He directed the soldiers and dock workers to build a springboard and carefully pulled down the horses one by one. These war horses were bumpy for thousands of miles on the sea, and their mental state was obviously not very good. Some even showed signs of weakness under their feet when they stepped off the gangplank, which made Haru Gonghao, who loves horses very much, feel distressed.
"This old man... Serving horses is like serving your son!" Wang Tom watched Harugong running back and forth on the dock shouting orders, and couldn't help but joked: "Leading animals is better than us leading soldiers. I’m still nervous about fighting.”
Sun Changmi said: "That's not bad. Didn't you see that when he made the request to our shipping department before departure, the horse-carrying ship must not only pay attention to ventilation, but also ensure enough space for the horses? He kept an eye on us as we modified the boat according to his requirements. In addition, he had to stop at the shore from time to time to replenish the horses with fresh fodder. Haha, we also need to pay attention to the nutritional mix. We feed them freshly prepared feed every day. Just transporting these horses and the various feeds they need takes up six ships. Look, the ship next to them is unloaded. The sacks were piled up like a mountain, filled with beans for the horses to eat.”
"It seems that our time to go north may have to be postponed for a few days." Qian Tiandun said thoughtfully: "If the condition of these war horses is not well maintained, Lao Ha probably won't be able to go north with peace of mind."
It still takes several days to travel from Zhoushan to the destination of the Jiaodong Peninsula. If the physical condition of these war horses is not improved a little, the recovery period required after arriving there will be even longer. A short rest here in Zhoushan is also a very necessary recovery measure for Harugong's cavalry battalion. But in this way, the entire army's itinerary may be affected.
According to the original plan, within three to five days after this fleet arrives in Zhoushan, the original troops stationed on the island will complete the defense handover with the newly arrived friendly forces, and then the huge fleet will depart from Zhoushan and head north. But whether this arrangement can be implemented on time, now there is another variable due to the cavalry battalion. If Harugong thinks that the condition of the war horses is not enough to withstand the torment caused by this voyage, then he will definitely not let his men reluctantly Hit the road.
Regarding the arrival of this cavalry unit, the local garrison in Zhoushan, with the special operations battalion as the main body, is also full of curiosity. The special operations battalions stationed overseas all year round and the cavalry units stationed on Hainan Island have not had much interaction in the past. Watching the tall horses descending to the pier, you can't help but feel envious of the friendly forces. However, as Haihan's recognized ace force, the soldiers of the special operations battalion still maintained their basic reserve and did not come close to watch.
In order to prepare for the short transit period of this cavalry unit on Zhoushan Island, several stables were built on the island half a month ago, and basic disinfection was also carried out in advance. At that time, merchants from the Ming Dynasty who were entering and leaving the port area thought that the Haihan people were going to start trading livestock. Many people thought this was a business opportunity and approached the Ministry of Commerce to inquire about it.
After listening to the story of Qian Tiandun and others, Sun Changmi just smiled and shook his head and said: "After Lao Ha visits the stable, he will definitely find a lot of problems. You'd better prepare the manpower first and wait for him. When you find something wrong, take corrective measures immediately.”
Sure enough, Harugong did not disappoint. After seeing the stables prepared locally, he immediately gave seven or eight suggestions for improvement. Tom Wang couldn't help but smiled bitterly and said: "Old Ha, these horses of yours are indeed precious, but they are only here for a temporary stopover. Do you want to make it so complicated?"
Haru said solemnly: "Tom, this is not my intention to find fault. Think about it, our war horses are currently bred in Hainan Island. In the future, if they are to be transported to the north, they will have to be transferred here in Zhoushan. Now that it has been built Horse stables, then stop treating them as temporary facilities. If we pay more attention to these fixed facilities, we can effectively reduce possible losses. Do you think this is true?”
Wang Tom knew that he would definitely not be able to defend Harugong in this professional field, so he could only pull Qian Tiandun out as a shield at the moment: "You are right, Lao Qian quickly arrange workers for him."
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Therefore, at Harugong's request, the departure schedule originally scheduled for early July was postponed and adjusted to mid-July, so that these horses could recover some strength in Zhoushan before continuing on their journey. journey. In this way, the defense handover of the troops stationed on the island is not so urgent and can be carried out step by step and calmly.
According to the arrangements of the Ministry of National Defense, Shi Diwen will stay in Zhoushan as a military representative to guard this important maritime base for Haihan. The generals leading the army northward include Navy Commander Wang Tom, Qian Tiandun who is responsible for commanding the army, and the cavalry battalion independently commanded by Harugong. In addition, as Qian Tiandun's adjutant, Chen Yixin will also accompany the large army to Shandong. Currently, there is only one civilian official, Hao Wanqing, and the tasks he shoulders are relatively complex. In addition to intelligence collection, he also has to take on the diplomatic, immigration, trade and other matters in the early stage of Haihan's settlement in Shandong. This is equivalent to one person wearing multiple hats. .
Since there was no rush to set off at the moment, Hao Wanqing summoned everyone and briefed them on the progress of the trial of the three Ming officials who had been captured on Zhoushan Island. The confessions made by these three people are not only limited to the military and intelligence security aspects, but also involve immigration, trade, shipping and other fields that Haihan is most concerned about.
"According to what they said, we have reported our actions to the Jinyiwei North and South Town Fusi and the Ministry of War many times. The reason why there has been no response from the superiors is probably that these yamen are busy dealing with the civil strife in the north and can't get out for the time being. Handle these disputes in the south. "Hao Wanqing introduced to the crowd: "But we are still not sure what the relevant yamen in the Ming Dynasty think of Haihan, and whether it will affect our actions after arriving in the north. "
"Although we don't have to worry too much about Ming's use of force against us, if the local government tightens immigration and trade policies, it will still have a relatively large impact on us." Wang Tom also expressed concern about this.
"If this is the case, we can only rely on strong ships and cannons to open the door of Ming Dynasty." Shi Diwen shrugged: "After all, we are following the imperialist route now, and we must forcibly obtain resources and markets from Ming Dynasty. We can only use the most direct method.”
The handling method Shi Diwen said was simple and crude, but everyone here knew the reason why Haihan could not break up with Daming yet, so no one took his method seriously. "These people... don't have any way to save the situation?" Sun Changmi asked: "If they can save it, they might be able to save their lives."
Hao Wanqing said: "It is not easy to recover. Our action this time only temporarily solved the main hidden dangers in Zhejiang, but it is impossible to eliminate the voices that oppose us. After all, we have destroyed a lot of sea trade in the coastal areas of Ming Dynasty after taking control of it." There is no way to reconcile this kind of conflict of interest in people's jobs. Now we have arrested Liao Xun, but Zhang Xun and Li Xun will come from other places in the future. To be honest, this is still a temporary solution, not the root cause. Whether you want to kill them or keep them depends on what the base camp wants. I personally think it doesn’t matter whether you kill them or not. The key is to extract all the valuable information from their heads.”
"Then we should at least deal with their accomplices as much as possible?" Qian Tiandun said: "Even if there will still be people in Jiangsu and Zhejiang official circles who come out to oppose us in the future, at least they can be clean for a while."
"Gong Shiqi is currently doing this." Hao Wanqing nodded and said: "However, due to the mysterious disappearance of Liao Xun and the others, all states and governments are now conducting strict investigations, so the actions that the field team can take now are also very limited, and they dare not Too risky.”
"Will Gong Shiqi follow you north?" Qian Tiandun asked.
"If he doesn't follow me, then I will have no one to use." Hao Wanqing smiled bitterly: "You also know that I didn't bring many people with me when I came from Sanya."
When Hao Wanqing was in Sanya, he basically worked as an internal clerk and rarely went out for operations. Although he also had people like Gong Shiqi who were responsible for field service, he almost didn't have a relationship like He Xi and Gong Shiqi. He was a close confidant, so he didn't bring many people with him when he went north. In addition to his personal guards, there were only two or three civilian personnel who followed him to learn intelligence analysis. Fortunately, He Xi had left generals like Gong Shiqi for him to dispatch, otherwise he would not have been able to start work there immediately after going to the north. Of course, before then, the Ministry of Security may not even be able to resolve the unfavorable situation in Zhejiang, making it difficult to carry out the plan to go north.
Tom Wang asked: "At that time, will the field team of your security department act alone or continue to cooperate with our military?"
Hao Wanqing said: "Let's cooperate. It would be best if Lao Ha's cavalry battalion can also join in to enhance mobility."
Harugong said: "If we go out to perform reconnaissance missions, my people are more than qualified. Although they are cavalry, their daily training is based on the standards of scouts."
"Your people can only roam in the wild on war horses. If you want to cross the town, you still have to send people on foot. This way your identity will not be exposed easily." Hao Wanqing does not want others to replace the functions of the security department. This is not only It's a matter of competence. If the cavalry can complete the intelligence collection work of the field team, then what's the use of the security department?
"Just lend a few horses to Minister Hao then!" Wang Tom hurriedly tried to smooth things over, but when the people around him heard this, they knew that this was not appropriate.
Sure enough, Harugong immediately shook his head and rejected the proposal: "War horses are matched with one person and one horse, and cannot be borrowed easily. Moreover, if Minister Hao's people are not familiar with the temperament of horses and go out to perform tasks for a few days, they may ride the horses. Bad. It’s not that I’m stingy. If you really want to borrow them, I can pick up a few packhorses for you.”
"Then a pack horse will do, too." Hao Wanqing didn't pick a fight, and didn't give Harugong a chance to regret it, so he agreed first.
The pack horses in the cavalry battalion are not the same as those used by the logistics and transportation troops. The main task is not to carry heavy equipment and materials, but to serve as the cavalry's daily mounts. The precious war horses are often only used as pack horses during war. Human responsibility. The cavalry spends more time on pack horses than on war horses. Of course, if there are enough high-quality war horses, the arrangement of one person and two horses can make the two horses take turns to ride, and the burden will be more balanced.
Harugong laughed dumbly and said: "Hey, Hao Wanqing, it turns out that you treat my cavalry battalion as fat! You are trying to cut me with a knife in every possible way!"
"Don't dare!" Hao Wanqing defended seriously: "This is all necessary for work, not my personal selfishness."
But the actual situation was not as optimistic as they thought at this time. On the day after the meeting, sporadic illnesses began to appear among the horses that had just arrived in Zhoushan. Harugong believed that this was just a sign that the horses were acclimated to the local climate and forage, but he did not dare to be careless at all. In order to avoid the possibility of the spread of immune diseases, all horses found to be in abnormal condition were taken out and raised separately, and One-on-one is staffed for continuous observation.
There are no professional veterinarians in the traveling group, and the horses in the cavalry camp are taken care of by Harugong based on his past experience in raising horses. In fact, Harugong has no unique secret recipe for the horses' illness, and he can only prepare better meals. , counting on the horse to slowly heal itself by eating and resting.
(End of chapter)